I survived because of my will power: Vikram

Kuala Lumpur: He became a southern superstar after being in the industry for over a decade and actor Vikram says that it is his will power that has kept him going.

The 45-year-old Tamil movie actor, who made his Bollywood debut in Mani Ratnam`s `Raavan` in 2010 said that he never gave up his struggle as he had faced a bigger challenge during his college days.

"I was riding pillion on my friend`s motorbike and we met with an accident which badly injured my right leg," said Vikram.

He had to undergo 23 operations over four years to save his badly injured leg from being amputated.

"I was bedridden for three years and on crutches for one year before I fully recovered," he added.

Born as John Kennedy Vinod Raj, the actor tasted success after playing the lead role in `Sethu` in 1999 as a tough young man who uses violence as the only way to deal with people.

The actor was recently in Malaysian capital to promote his latest movie `Deiva Thirumagal` in which he plays the role of a mentally-challenged man who goes to court to seek the right to raise his young daughter.

The movie is based on Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning starrer `I am Sam`.